


Dark Days for Tom Keen

by GachMoBrea



Series: Donald Ressler-Reddington Series [4]
Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: 'Who are you?', (Nothing too terribly Graphic), AU, Alternate Universe, Blood, Death, Dembe to the Rescue!, Doubts about Tom, Hostage Situation, NOT Episode Related..., OOC, Reddington is Ressler's Dad, Threats, gun - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:38:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7966393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GachMoBrea/pseuds/GachMoBrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent Elizabeth Keen is out with her partner, Agent Donald Ressler, when she gets a call from her husband.</p><p>That seems like a normal thing, but it isn't her husband who has called her.</p><p>Minor Character Death. Not sure if I got all the Tags right. There's blood, but nothing terribly graphic. 'Teen' to be safe.</p><p>[*Time to break free of Episode guidelines and see what the FanFiction can do!*]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Liz is out in the field with Ressler when she gets a call from Tom.  
"Now's not really a good time," she answers.  
The voice that talks back is NOT her husband, "No, I think now is just the right time Agent Keen."  
"Who is this?" she demands, earning a curious glance from her partner. The voice is female and slightly familiar. When and where had she heard it?  
"I'll make this brief, agent', the voice remarks coolly. "I have your husband. I have a gun. I am more than willing to kill him if you don't do exactly what I say."  
"I'm listening," Liz replies when the voice pauses.  
"You need to come home. Tell your partner to drop you off. Say there's an emergency with Tom you have to take care of. Make sure your convincing enough to make Ressler leave. Or," the voice chuckles. "I'll kill him too."  
"We're pretty far away," Liz tries to lie in order to give herself some time. "It could take a while for me to get back."  
"I know exactly where you are, Keen," the voice's tone ices again. "If you deviate from a direct path here, all you will do is put off seeing Tom's dead body."  
"Fine," Liz knows what she has to do next. "I'll be right there, Tom."  
"Good girl."  
The voice hangs up and Liz takes a steadying breath.  
She turns to Ressler, "I need you to take me home. There's something urgent I have to do with Tom."  
"What's wrong?" her partner asks, glancing at her as he turns off the highway to go in the opposite direction. "Should I turn on my lights? Do we need to call 9-1-1? Cooper?"  
"No lights," she assures him with a fake smile. "And I know who to call, but I need to borrow your phone."  
"Why?" he asks as he hands it over.  
"Mine kept gurgling over the line," she lies again, typing in Red's latest contact number. "I'm sure everything will be fine."  
Ressler frowns, but nods as he continues his drive to Keen's house.  
Reddington answers after the fourth ring, "Mocello's pizzeria. How can I help you?"  
"Hey nurse Jackson, it's Elizabeth Keen," Liz puts on an air of mild concern and friendliness. "I was wondering if you or your friends could stop by my house with me? I think Tom might be feeling sicker than normal after one of his classes with a new student."  
She hopes the criminal mastermind will be able to understand her subtext.  
"I see," Red replies seriously. "Are we on a secure line, Lizzy?"  
"Your guess is as good as mine," she shrugs even though the other can't see it. "I'm on my way there now. This is my partner's phone. That's why you didn't recognize the number."  
"Try to keep him out of this. If possible," Red request softly. "I'll be there as soon as I can."  
"Thanks," she smiles as she hangs up, then hands the phone back to Ressler.  
"So, Tom's sick?" her partner asks as he puts the device away. "How bad did he sound over the phone? Do you think it's contagious?"  
"It's probably just something he caught from a student," Liz waves the man's concerns off. "Tom can be a bit of a drama queen sometimes. You can drop me off there and head back to talk to the witness yourself. I'm sure I'll have it taken care of by the time you're done."  
"You sure you don't want me to stick around?" he offers. "If he ends up being really bad off, you might need a hand getting him to the hospital."  
'So considerate and sweet but...' Liz shakes her head. "I have a friend coming over to check on him. Between the two of us, we can handle Tom. Or I'll just call 9-1-1. But I don't think it will come to that."  
'At least I hope it won't.'  
"If you're sure," Ressler frowns, sounding unsure for her. "You'll have five more minutes of driving to change your mind."  
She shakes her head 'no', then answers, "Thanks, Ressler."  
"What are partners for?"

 

At the house, Liz smiles as she waves to her partner to get him to drive off. She looks around the block, hoping to catch sight of Red or Dembe, but there's no one and she's forced to go in alone.  
The curtains are closed and the house is eerily quiet. Liz closes the door behind herself but doesn't lock it, then slowly walks towards the living room, gun drawn and expertly held in front of herself.  
In the dining room, Tom is taped to a chair, mouth covered as well, and the red-headed woman who had caught them fighting during their baby shower is holding a gun to his head.  
"Agent Keen," the woman smiles at her pleasantly. "If you'd just drop the gun?"  
Slowly, reluctantly, Liz does, eyes darting from her husband's bleeding head to the woman holding him hostage.  
"What do you want?" she asks the woman, hoping Reddington was on his way with a plan.  
"First off, I'd like to apologize for this little scene," the red-head sighs, nudging Tom with the weapon. "I hadn't realized what a waste it would be talking to your 'husband'."  
There's an obvious mocking tone when the woman says 'husband' but Liz decides to ignore it. "What exactly were you hoping to learn from him?"  
"If your Raymond Reddington's daughter or not," the woman grins. "Not sure if the Connoisseur of Crime has said anything to you, but rumor has it you two have familial reasons for working together."  
"I don't know where you hear those kinds of rumors," Liz grins back. "But it sounds like the type of place where you check your keys at the gate."  
The red-head sighs dramatically, "See, I KNEW you'd be a problem."  
She steps back to shoot Tom in the shoulder. Liz jumps while her husband screams in pain through the tape covering his mouth.  
"Now," the woman clears her throat as the grin returns to her face and the gun goes back to Tom's head. "Do you want to tell me the truth about you and Red now? Or do I go for the kill shot?"  
As if on command, a bullet slices through the air, hitting the woman in the head and instantly killing her. She tilts ever so slightly before crumpling to the ground in a heap. Dembe appears from behind, gun still pointed at the woman as he crouches down to check her pulse.  
"All clear," the man speaks into his wrist, then Red comes in through the front door.  
Liz runs to the kitchen, grabbing the sharpest knife she sees and going to her husband to cut him free.  
"Tom? Tom, honey? Can you hear me?" she calls to him, cutting as quickly as she can without risking any injuries to him or herself. "Tom!'  
His head jerks up, eyes blearily looking around before locking on her. She thinks he grins behind the tape.  
"You're going to be okay," she tells him with an encouraging smile. "Just hold on for me, okay? I'm going to get you to a hospital and they'll fix you, good as new."  
He nods to her, head lowering with each nod and she finally cuts the past piece of tapa and drops the knife to take his head in her hands.  
"Red!" Liz calls to the man, having lost sight of him while freeing her husband. "Call 9-1-1! Tom needs to go to the hospital!"  
"I've got a better idea, Lizzy."  
Dembe pulls Tom up form the chair and throws him over his shoulder.  
"What?! Dembe! Put him down! Red!" Liz turns to the criminal as his right hand man carries her husband out the back door. "What do you think you're doing? Tom needs a hospital!"  
"And he's going to get the very best care available," Red assures her, taking her shoulders into his arm. "I'm going to bring him to my own private hospital where he will be patched up. You can go with Dembe too, if you'd like."  
"Why?" she begs to know. "Why a secret hospital out of some warehouse of yours? Why not a REAL hospital with REAL doctors?"  
"You cut me to the quick, Lizzy," Reddington pretends to be offended. "My people are real doctors, and I'm insulted to know you think I take care of human lives in unsanitary conditions like old warehouses."  
"Then where ARE you taking him?" the agent demands to know as she watches her husband get placed in the back of a black car.  
"A brand new warehouse with all the medical comforts any patient could need."  
"Red...."  
"Relax, Lizzy," Red pats her on the arm gently. "I might not like the man, but I'm not interested in seeing him come to his end so soon either."

Mr. Kaplan arrives as Dembe drives off. Liz frowns at the woman when she greets her before heading into the house.  
"I've got to call this in," Liz states aloud. "This is a crime scene now. Kaplan can't-"  
"If you call this in, what will you say?" Red interrupts with a pointed look. "Some random woman invaded your house, took your husband hostage for some reason, then you lied to your partner to meet her alone?"  
"But-"  
"Not to mention how said woman was stopped from killing your husband?" the criminal shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I don't want to risk anything to chance. Mr. Kaplan will take care of everything. Your job will be to get Tom to keep his mouth shut about this."  
"You're not going to threaten him," Liz says, doesn't ask.  
"My dear lady," Red laughs a little. "I won't need to. You are in charge of him. Not me."  
"Good," the agent nods, looking back to her house worriedly before sighing away her concerns. "Take me to Tom now, please."  
"Very well."

\- - -

The warehouse doesn't look like much on the outside, but inside is pristine and a perfect mini hospital. The doctors and nurses Reddington had hired were already working on Tom when the two entered the building.

While the surgery is finishing up and Tom is being wheeled out to recover, Red gets a call that he excuses himself to take.  
The call reminds Liz that she had told Ressler she should be done by the time he finished with their witness as she sends him a text to check on him.  
'Witness rabbited. Trying to chase him down. How's Tom?' -Ressler texts back.  
'He fell down the stairs and dislocated his shoulder.' Liz texts back, grateful to be able to hide behind written words instead of having to keep the lie form her voice. 'He'll need a few days of rest but should be back on his feet in no time.'  
'Ouch. Bummer. Tell him I send my best. I'll let you know when I catch the witness.'  
'Thanks, partner.'

Red walks back towards her as she puts her phone away. He doesn't look happy.  
"What's wrong?" Liz asks him, instantly fearing what his answer might be,  
"I'm afraid my suspicions about Tom were correct, Lizzy," Red sounds apologetic as he looks at her sadly. "Mr. Kaplan found a box of fake passports, a weapon, and money from several different countries hidden in the floors of your house."  
"So?"  
"The passports were all for your husband," he tells her, looking over to the unconscious man. "It turns out your house guest wasn't the only one with an ulterior motive."  
"Those things could have been planted," Liz frowns, looking at her husband as if just seeing him would vindicate the criminal's suspicions. "There's no proof that Tom put them there. What if whoever that woman was did it?"  
"I'm having them checked for prints and running the names on the passports," Red explains. "But, surely you realize what this could mean?"  
"Are you trying to imply that my husband is a plant?" the agent scoffs. She shakes her head. "No. It can't be. I met him long before I ever met you."  
"Your marriage to Tom prompted me to personally step in, Lizzy."  
"What?" she looks up to the criminal who is looking about how she feels, albeit in a more guarded way.  
"When I learned someone was after my child, I thought I could plant rumors about you being that child and manipulate things from the background," Red frowns. "Then 'Tom Keen' showed up and you two were smitten. After the marriage, I came up with a way to meet you and further strengthen my enemy's suspicions. As well as be more capable of protecting you."  
"And I suppose now you have everything you need to trap him in some room with a 'special friend' of yours to get information out of him?" Liz holds back the tears as she stands to glare at the criminal. "I won't allow that to happen!"  
Red takes a step back, hands out wide in a non-threatening gesture.  
"I never wanted you to get hurt, Lizzy," he explains sadly. "I only wanted to protect. If it turns out that Tom is indeed innocent, then I will apologize and do whatever is in my power to help you both get through this."  
"I think for now, what would be best for us is if you'd leave," Liz looks away, takes her husband's hand in hers as she watches him breath.  
Reddington leaves without another word.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I have to follow the episodes.  
> Muse: Why?  
> Me: Because that's the best way to write this.  
> Muse: Who says?  
> Me: I have to do it this way. Trust me.  
> Muse: Is this a fiction? A FAN-FICTION?  
> Me: Ye~es. You know that.  
> Muse: Then why are you abiding by pretend 'laws' you're making up in your own head? Do whatever you want! (Within reason.) Go straight for the kill! No holds barren!  
> Me: Huh. I think you're right.  
> Muse: Of course I am. I'm the smart one.


	2. To Be Continued...

Tom groans to wakefulness a few hours later. Ressler was wrapping up their case without her, so Liz hadn't left her husband's side. Reddington hadn't returned and no on else in the strange hospital had bothered the couple.  
Liz smiles as her husband's eyes focus on her. "Hey."  
"Hi," he croaks, then weakly clears his throat as he looks around. "Where?"  
"We're at a hospital." It isn't a complete lie, so it's an easy sell for Liz. "How are you feeling?"  
"Like I've been shot," Tom mumbles, wincing when he tries to adjust himself in the bed. "What happened to Jolene?"  
"Who?" Liz frowns. Why is he asking about some woman?  
"Jolene Parker," her husband clarifies, staring at her. "The woman who shot me?"  
"I never got her name," Liz admits, deciding on what to tell Tom in an instant. "She's gone. Ran off when I managed to get the upper hand."  
"But I heard another shot." he frowns, confused. "You put your gun down. Who fired the second shot?"  
"She did." Why is he so concerned about a woman who tried to kill him? "There was a noise from the back yard and she fired at it. When she had her back to me, I tackled her. Got the gun away. She ran off after pushing me off."  
"Are the FBI after her now?" Tom keeps looking around every few seconds, eyes searching his IV, the curtains, trying to see out of 'the room' they were in.  
Liz starts to get a very bad feeling about her husband.  
"None of that is important," she squeezes his hand in an attempt to get his full attention. "Why are you so worried about her?"  
"I'm not," he assures her with a small smile, but she can tell it's forced. "I'm just worried about her coming back. Hurting you because she thinks you're related to that crook you're working with at your job."  
"Well, you don't have to worry about her here," she assures him, patting his hand. "What's important now is for you to get better."  
'I should check in with Ressler and see what Red is up to.'  
Liz can finally breathe easier knowing Tom will be alright. If only she could shake this new dark feeling about him. Maybe her criminal counterpart has figured out that the man was innocent.  
"I'm going to go check with the doctor," she tells her husband as she gets to her feet. "I'll be back in a little while."  
Before she can step away from the bed, Tom grabs her arm. His grip is surprisingly strong for someone who's been shot and is under the influence of painkillers.  
"Liz," Tom looks up at her with large, brown eyes. Begging her to tell the truth before asking, "I've got to know the truth."  
"What truth?" she frowns, pulling his hand off her arm firmly but gently. He reluctantly lets her go.  
"Are you related to Raymond Reddington?"  
Alarm bells ring in the agent's head, loud and clear. She shakes her head, "Now's not the time for that, Tom."  
"I need to know, Liz."  
"Why?"  
"Because I'm your husband!" he growls, then sighs when he sees her jump a little at the tone. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little scared after everything that's happened."  
"What did happen, Tom?" She decides to ask a question she was going to ignore. "Jolene said it was a waste of time talking to you. Why?"  
"Because I didn't know anything."  
"What did she ask you?"  
"Exactly what I'm asking you now."  
'I don't believe you.' Liz frowns. She stares at the man she loves and knows he's lying to her. Even through his soft, endearing eyes, there's darkness that he can't quite hide. Something hidden that she has seen all throughout their relationship and ignored, enjoying the thought of danger even though she was trying for a 'simple' life.  
Fear makes her paste a bright smile on her face. Fear that her whole life was going to end up being a lie once she talks to Reddington again.  
"We'll talk about all this later," she tells him, pecking him on the cheek. "I'll be back with the doctor. Try to rest."  
He nods, relaxing into the bed as she parts the curtains enough to leave before closing them behind herself again. 

Out of sight of her husband, Liz takes a deep breath. She wants to be wrong. She wants the man on the hospital bed to be an innocent victim that she needs to protect.  
She doesn't want the sinking feeling to get any worse.

There are a few guards near the walls of the warehouse and medical staff waiting in a small room. None of them know where Reddington is, but Liz eventually finds the man sitting in his black car outside.  
Dembe opens the door for her. There are files everywhere and Red slides the ones on the seat next to himself out of the way for the female agent to sit.  
"How's Tom?" he asks her, eyes darting over the file in his hands.  
"Better than I expected," Liz frowns, picking up a random file and flipping it open. It's full of surveillance photos. But the photos aren't of Tom, like she assumed, they're of the entire FBI taskforce. "What is this?"  
"While you were coddling your two faced husband," Red begins as he snaps the file closed. "I had my people search the city for everything they could find out about the man."  
"I thought you already tried looking in to Tom?"  
"And I'm disappointed in myself that I gave up with just a paper trial and witness of the man's past," the criminal turns the file around to hand it to Liz. "They uncovered his secret hideout."  
"Secret hideout?" What was this? Grade school villainy? But as Liz opens the file and looks over the photos of a wall covered with information on herself and her team, she can't come up with a better term for it. "How do you know Tom is responsible for all this? What proof do you have that this was done by him?"  
"There are witnesses, vagabonds who roam the streets at varying hours, that have seen Tom going in and out of the building," Red tells her in an even tone. "His fingerprints are all over the photos and clippings. There are traces of his DNA on discarded soda cans and food containers."  
The criminal puts a comforting hand on the agent's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I don't know who he is yet, but I will get to the bottom of who Tom Keen really is."  
"I'll do it myself," she growls, shoving the door open and carrying the folder to her 'husband's' room. She parts the curtain with a jerk, "Tom!"  
The bed is empty. The heart monitor turned off and the IV leaking onto the floor silently. "What?"  
Liz reaches for her weapons and curses when she remembers that she left it at the house. She goes back out from the curtained room and shouts, "Tom's escaped!"  
All the guards, except one, run to check the perimeter and look for the missing man. Curious, Liz goes to the unmoving guard and realizes that the man is wearing sunglasses in a darkened spot.  
She carefully looks him over and sees that he's without his weapon, then when she's only a few steps away from him, she sees the blood trickling down his black clothing.  
Even before she touches him and he falls to the ground, dead, she knew the man had been killed.  
Dembe pulls her away from the body by the shoulder and Red takes her into his arms. She hadn't realized she was shaking until the older man started to rub at her back.  
"Tom did this," she whispers, staring at the body. "He killed him. Even injured, he some how got off that bed, killed this man, and escaped without anyone noticing?"  
"One of the names from the passports we found is wanted for questioning in a murder investigation," Red tells her softly. "There's much more to Tom Keen than even I know. I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner."  
"I never told him," she pulls from his arms to look him in the eyes. "I never told him the truth about us."  
"I know," he offers her a small smile. "You're a good woman, Lizzy. You deserved better than this."

Even after a thorough search, Reddington's men only discover the man's abandoned hospital gown and the tire tracks of a stolen vehicle.  
"There must have been a change in the back," Liz muses after hearing the report. "Tom's not about to run around naked."  
"You should go home," Red tells her, nodding to Dembe already waiting at the car for her. "You need to go back to work tomorrow. If anyone notices Tom's disappearance, just tell them he took a small vacation to rest."  
"I already told Ressler he dislocated his shoulder," Liz sighs, loathing the idea of going to the place she thought she was sharing with a man she thought she loved.  
Did she really love him? Or did she love the illusion?  
"You're place has been checked for bugs and threats," Reddington assures her as he guides her to the vehicle. "There will be men protecting you there. Discreetly, of course. You won't even notice them."  
"I doubt that," she smiles, the small vote of confidence of herself turning sour on her tongue. "You'll let me know if you find him, right?"  
"You'll be my first call," he nods, putting her into the vehicle. He gently closes the door and Dembe drives off.

 

Liz takes each step into her house as if the next one will be her last. The inside is pristine, as if nothing had ever occurred there. As if her husband hadn't been held hostage before being shot then revealed to not be her husband after all.  
Who is he? Was he sent to kill her or just get information from her? Why hadn't he tried anything sooner? What was the end game? Who did Tom work for?  
What was his read name?

Questions plagued her mind as she lay in bed, tossing and turning as sleep evades her. 

The alarm goes off seconds after she falls asleep and Liz blasts the shower in her face to try and wake herself up.  
She drinks two cups of coffee before Ressler arrives to give her a lift to the Post Office.

"How's Tom?" Ressler asks after his greeting and he's pulled away from the curb.  
"He's taking some time off to rest," she tells him with a fake, friendly smile. "How'd the case go?"  
"Finally caught the witness and they rolled on the blackmailer," her partner smiles. "You should have been there! Meera tackled the guy and they rolled through three picnics!"  
Liz chuckles despite her secret anguish. Just being around her partner eases some of the pain in her heart. "Too bad we don't wear body cams. That sort of video would go viral."  
Ressler fills her in on the rest of the case and the team greets her pleasantly when they enter the building.  
No one suspects anything. There's no reason to. Liz smiles and pretends that everything's fine and they go about their business while they wait for the next case.

 

At her desk, Liz uses her phone to pull up a photo of her and Tom on their wedding day. They look so happy. So hopeful. So full of life and excitement for the future.  
She swipes at the device and her finger hovers over the 'delete' button.  
It's not the only copy she has. She still doesn't have the whole story. She could be overreacting and this could all still end up being a mistake.  
She hits 'delete' and tosses her phone into the top drawer of her desk.  
If she is wrong, and her gut screams at her that she isn't, she can always re-upload the picture back to her phone.... 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I own nothing.*


End file.
